Page 40 of Deranged Demons

Dante drops down beside me, and his scent of apricots makes my head spin. I clear my throat. “I don’t think it’d be nearly as fun for them if I joined,” I reply with a smirk.

“Yeah, but it’d be fun for us to watch,” Nate says eagerly.

I shake my head and turn back to the fire, stretching out my hands and warming my fingers. Dante holds out the wine bottle, and I grab it from him, taking a drink.

“So, now that you’re here, is anyone going to tell me why you haven’t fucked yet? I get you wouldn’t have been able to bond, but your restraint is…confusing,” Dante comments. His dark gaze is locked on me as he says it, and I splutter, choking on the wine.

“Maybe, I haven’t been in the mood,” I wheeze out when I can breathe again.

His devilish lips twitch. “Is that so?”

I force myself to stare at the fire and not the ridges of his muscled chest exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. “Mhmm,” I mumble, and drink more wine. Because damn, if there was ever an occasion to drink, it’s now.

Nate chuckles and stretches his arms. “What makes you so sure we haven’t, demon?”

“Well, for one, she’s sucking on that wine bottle like she’s imagining it’s someone’s cock,” Dantereplies, and this time I spit wine into the fire making the flames crackle.

“I was not,” I defend, glaring at him, and he smirks as he stares back at me.

Nate gestures his head to where Prince Callan is spinning the small knife he’d removed from his boot. “Well, would you want to fuck this one? Look at that wingspan. The male is compensatin’ for something.”

Prince Callan stops spinning his blade. “Says the male who’s undoubtedly planning to use the princess for some hidden purpose of his.”

And…that’s my cue to leave. So much for thinking we could have a relaxing drink by the fire.

“I need to get some air,”I tell Shade.“Make sure Nate doesn’t do anything stupid like try to arm wrestle Roken.”At that moment, the large demon shouts out in victory, having bested his opponent.

Shade settles on the ground, staring at Nate and Prince Callan with beady eyes.“You can count on me,”she replies.

I lift to my feet, my temperature rising as three pairs of eyes fix on me. “I’m going to keep watch,” I mumble, turning from them and not waiting for a response before striding away from the fire and further into the park. When I reach a group of skeletal trees, I stop and close my eyes, breathing in the night air which is bliss against my cheeks.Stupid fated mates. If I ever meet Lady Fate I’m going to ask her to rethink the whole fated mates thing. I was doing just fine beforethis whole ordeal, and I bet I could find a way to keep the clan leaders of Seral in check, even without my full power.

Behind me, someone else moves from the group, but I don’t look to see who it is. Seeing as Shade hasn’t said anything, I assume it’s not Nate going to cause a brawl. Demons hate losing, and something tells me Rokan wouldn’t play fair.

Folding my arms in front of my chest, I open my eyes and focus on the long stretch of dirt and trees around me. I wonder if the Drozac assassin is out there watching. If he was with us, we could try to bond. Even now that I know Dante is my mate, I can’t tell if he’s the last one. Bonding is the only sure way to check whether I’ve found all my mates, but I doubt Prince Callan has changed his mind about bonding with me.

Movement some distance away near a tree has me squinting to try and see clearer, but I’m distracted when I sense motion behind me. Instinctively, I stiffen, my hand flying to the hilt of the dagger at my side. Before I can grab out the blade, the hard ridges of a warm body presses against my back, and long fingers curl over my hand.

“As much as I’m a fan of knife play, princess, you won’t be needing that now,” Dante chuckles in my ear, his scent of apricots and cardamon reaching my nose.Damn apricots.My mouth waters, my breath hitching at his close proximity. Twisting my head to the side, I peer at the empty space behind me. It’s a strange sensation, feeling someone even when you can’t see them. I look further back to where Prince Callan, Nate,and Shade are still by the fire along with the rest of the demons.

“Why are you invisible?” I ask Dante, my heart pounding as his other hand snakes across my belly, and need rises in me, the bond that ties us together winding tighter.

“Because I can tell you need this,” he answers.

“Need what? Your dick massaging my back?” I retort, pretending that his erection prodding me through his pants isn’t making me want to spin around and take him in my mouth.

His laugh is so low I almost don’t hear it. “If that’s what it takes.” He pauses, and the next time he speaks his voice is softer and more serious. “You need to know that his death wasn’t your fault.”

I suck in a sharp breath. “What?”

“You know who I’m talking about,” he replies. “It’s what’s holding you back from claiming your mates, isn’t it?”

My heart races faster. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper back, though the image of Kai’s face appears in my mind and sweat beads on my brow.

“I know that if he was your mate, he wouldn’t have died,” Dante replies, his arms wrapping possessively around me as he pulls me tighter to him. “Fated mates balance each other.”

“Well, we couldn’t be sure,” I defend.

“And what about me?” he asks. “We both know we’re fated, so how can I convince you to let me in,princess?” He kisses my shoulder, his lips hot on my skin, and I shudder.

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